Birthday Wishes
by Scandiadream
Summary: Emeraude gets a surprise for her birthday, but is it truly what she wishes for?


Birhtday Wishes Birthday Wishes 

by Scandiadream scandiadream@hotmail.com 

Disclaimer- Magic Knight Rayearth characters belong to CLAMP. This story was concocted by me. Also part of the main continuum. Yes, there's spoilers. 

Rating- PG 

"Good morning Clef!" a teenage girl and a little boy said at the same time.   
"Good morning Emeraude! Good morning Ferio! And happy birthday to both of you!" Clef told his cousins.   
It was a lovely May morning. Emeraude was turning 16 today and Ferio 7. It was amazing how the royal siblings of Cephiro shared their birthday. Now that their parents were not with them anymore, it was Clef who took care of them. 

"Clef, can I skip school today, please?" Ferio asked.   
"No Ferio, you may not."   
"But it's my birthday"   
"So what? Your sister has never skipped school on her birthday. Not even on her ninth birthday, which was the day you were born."   
"Gee, I wonder why" Ferio said sarcastically 

"Ding-dong!" the palace's doorbell rang. Emeraude dashed very rapidly towards the door. Ferio and Clef looked at each other knowing why.   
"Good morning Zagato!" Emeraude said hello to her sweetheart. "Good morning Lantis" to his little brother.   
"Good morning Emeraude. Happy birthday!"   
"Thank you!" Emeraude smelled the white lilies she had just received.   
"Hey, it's my birthday too!" Ferio popped from behind.   
"Of course, here you go." Lantis gave Ferio a peach from his backyard.   
"Yummy!" Ferio immediately bit the peach, even though he just had breakfast. 

"Happy Birthday Emeraude. So what are you getting for your birthday?" her friend Caldina asked?   
"One less day"   
Caldina knew what Emeraude was talking about. Emeraude had promised to Zagato years before that she would be his bride- and the day when they would be old and mature enough to pledge themselves to each other was getting closer. 

"Caldina! Lafarge! Could you please be a bit more modest?" the teacher asked the cheerleader and athlete whom she had caught kissing in the corner during recess.   
"Come on prof, Alcyone was worse and you know it!" Caldina objected.   
"Miss Borgia was a special case. But there is no such thing as being too modest."   
"Oh yes there is! You know, Lantis and I have to turn around each and every single time...MMRRRGGGH" Ferio innocently blurted out, but Emeraude had run to cover her little brother's mouth before he could reveal how modest his sister was.   
"I am not going to deny that!" Lantis added. He got bonked with a paper ball immediately afterwards. 

But the first one to get the big surprise that day was not one of the birthday kids, but their older and wiser cousin. 

Clef exited his training that day to see a large spaceship with the royal emblem of Daytona on it. Daytona was a neighboring country of Cephiro, although not a powerful one like Autozam, Chizeta, or Fahren. 

"Welcome to Cephiro. Make yourself at home....how may I help you?" Clef was curious about this visit.   
"I am prince Austin of Daytona. I have come here to ask the hand in marriage of the beautiful Princess Emeraude. Her beauty is so famous, word of it has reached us."   
Clef nearly let out a chuckle. "I appreciate your interest in her, but I am afraid you cannot marry Emeraude. She just turned 16 today! Besides..."   
"Besides what? She has another suitor? I am not surprised at all- with that loveliness. But I will win her heart and she will be my queen. Where is she right now?"   
"At school" Clef said, as if stating "Where else would she be?"   
"Why?"   
"Because she does not want to remain ignorant" Clef was finding this odd.   
"Why is she going to school with the populace instead of having a private tutor? Besides, with those looks, she can win any prince she wants"   
Clef was wondering if this person was someone that Emeraude would be looking for. 

"Look, we've got visitors!" Ferio said when he saw the spaceship as he returned from school.   
"A spaceship! Cool!" Lantis added.   
"Not cool" Zagato replied. Emeraude, Lantis, and Ferio paid him quizzical looks.   
"Zagato, you love spaceships. Why do you not find this one cool?" Emeraude asked him.   
"Something is not right. You know when you get that weird feeling in your stomach that there's something wrong? Well that ship is giving me the creeps." Zagato said skeptically.   
  
The four kids entered the palace. Inside the main hall there was Clef and Prince Romellus waiting.   
"Who the heck is that?" Ferio asked in a low voice.   
"Wow" Emeraude said as she smiled   
"I'm fried" Zagato sighed.   
"Zagato! Just because he's cute does not mean I love you any less." Emeraude squelched her boyfriend's hand. He knew she meant it- however, unlike her girlfriends who gazed at idols, Emeraude was very choosy. 

"Good afternoon Emeraude, Ferio, Zagato, Lantis" Clef did not even have to look to see that the royals' friends were with them. "Meet Prince Austin of Daytona. He is here for a special reason". Clef turned nervous at saying those last words.   
"It is a great honor to meet you, Princess Emeraude" Austin bowed down to her and kissed her hand. Even though this was a common greeting, Emeraude could tell he had ulterior motives.   
"Princess, what is the greatest birthday gift you have ever received?" Austin asked Emeraude.   
"This one!" Emeraude said happily hugging Ferio.   
"Princess, I would like to bring you a birthday present like no other. I would like to discuss something very important with you." 

Zagato and Lantis knew that this did not concern them, so they excused themselves.   
"Excuse me, let me say good bye to my friends." Emeraude said.   
The four of them went out the door.   
"Hope you have a good evening."   
"You too. I'll see you tomorrow."   
And Zagato made the hand signal that Lantis and Ferio knew it meant for them to turn around. He and Emeraude kissed each other good-bye.   
"I love you"   
"I love you too"   
Zagato and Lantis went home again.   
When Emeraude and Ferio entered the hall again, Clef told them to change out of their school uniforms and into their nice royal attire. They understood the guest wanted the best, but how much, they would find out soon. 

"It is my pleasure for me to finally meet you tonight, Your Royal Highness Emeraude Sara de Cephiro Maimonides". Austin said.   
"Please call me Emeraude." the princess replied in a polite way. "To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"   
"Emeraude, news of your beauty has reached Daytona. Since I have seen your picture, I have known I am in love with you".   
"Huh?" Ferio was falling asleep, but that woke him up suddenly?   
"Who me?" Emeraude could not help but think. Sure, she was beautiful, but she knew she was no beauty queen- that would be her friend Alcyone.   
"Emeraude, I believe that you are the one for me, and I would like you to be my queen." Austin said smiling.   
"Say what?" Emeraude was truly not expecting that.   
"She cannot marry you!" Ferio said explicitly. Emeraude was too surprised to talk.   
"Why do you say that, Prince Ferio?" Austin wondered.   
"Well, he is just wondering because she is so young. She just turned 16 today, and nobody in Cephiro could or would pledge themselves to another that young." Clef tried to occult the real reason.   
"And because she already loves somebody else!" Ferio said. Emeraude blushed red as a tomato and lowered her head.   
"Does not surprise me if boys are going crazy over you and you may like some. But I can offer you so much more. Princess, I can understand you may be tired today. But we can discuss them tomorrow morning".   
"I cannot in the morning"   
"Why not?"   
"I have school" Emeraude did have her priorities straight. 

The next morning, Emeraude and Ferio departed very early.   
"Zagato, Lantis, the kids left already. They forgot they had something to do". Clef covered for them.   
The palace was on the way to school from the Montague mansion, so the boys did not waste the trip. But they were concerned, especially Zagato. He was afraid to say hi to Emeraude that morning. Not afraid of her, but afraid that now she may like the prince of that country more and may not want to talk to him. 

"Oooh a prince! Princes have mucho money! But then, so do you. And I dunno if I could live with all that protocol. But then, it may be a small trade for all that life of luxury." Caldina said.   
"There's more than that" Emeraude said simply.   
"So, are you interested in him?"   
"That's the problem"   
"You ARE?" Caldina pressed, knowing that things were not simple.   
"I'm not." Emeraude shrugged as if the prince were just an idol.   
"So you are not going to dump Pretty Boy for him?"   
"Of course not. But I don't know if Zagato is mad at me. After all, I did blush when I first saw the prince. But I just know Austin is not the one. He is not what I wished for my birthday."   
"You go girl" Caldina said her cheer in a calm way, reassuring Emeraude, then went to see Lafarge. 

Emeraude kept eating lunch by herself.   
"Want some company?"   
"Hi!" Emeraude turned around to see the one she truly wished for. "Hadn't seen you today! How are you?" The two kids hugged.   
"Better now that I know."   
"That prince does not even know me! He probably likes me simply because I am the princess"   
"And I know that irritates you".   
"Oh yes" Emeraude pecked Zagato's cheek. He smiled.   
They finished their lunches together, and later that afternoon walked back home from school with their younger brothers as usual. 

"Emeraude, Austin wants to know what your decision is" Clef asked Emeraude while the boys were doing their homework.   
"What do you mean by decision?"   
"If you wish to marry him"   
"Clef, what kind of question is that? Of course not! I love Zagato."   
"I know. I should have let him know from the beginning. But he truly seemed interested. Yet, please do tell him in person." 

"Austin, you seem like a wonderful person, yet I am afraid I cannot accept your offer". Emeraude stated courteously in the main hall. She had changed, but the boys were still in uniform and snooping from a window.   
"May I inquire why, Princess?" Austin held her hands.   
"Because I love somebody else" Emeraude let go.   
"But, why? How can this be? Your family said you were so young and all"   
"We have loved each other since we met at age seven" Emeraude said fondly.   
"So he probably just surpassed your height? How can you compare him to me, who is more versed in the ways of the world?"   
"How did he know?" Zagato wondered from hiding. He was still growing, like most 15-year-old boys.   
"We grow together, and our love grows too. And someday we will be united". Emeraude said "Sorry Austin. I know there is someone for you."   
"Wow, she is tactful."   
"I understand. Thank you princess. I wish you happiness."   
Austin and his crew departed shortly afterwards. 

"What was that all about?" Ferio wondered. "That guy is not my real Big Brother".   
"Don't worry Ferio" Emeraude patted her little brother's head. She then held Zagato's hands. Both smiled.   
"You're happy again. I love all four of you very much" Clef told Emeraude and the three boys.   
"And no fancy schmancy dinner today! I want pizza!" Ferio was more concerned about his immediate needs.   
  
"We better get going home. It is night already!" Lantis said after dinner.   
"Good night Ferio. Good night Emeraude"   
"Good night Lantis. Good night Zagato. I love you"   
Emeraude and Zagato hugged each other, and kissed right there forgetting that their little brothers were present.   
"Ooooooh!" Lantis and Ferio said, surprised.   
Zagato got red and wanted to thwap them at first, but instead laughed. Emeraude simply smiled, she did not care anymore.   
"Nothing can get in the way of our love." she said as her special friend left. 

Unfortuntely, the Pillar system was an obstacle that prevented Emeraude and Zagato from realizing their love for each other while in Cephiro. But they were able to do so in eternity, where they could finally be together forever and now nothing could hurt them anymore. 

The end.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
